Moving past ‘rookie’
Every player goes through it. There’s a moment or instance where he is “welcomed to the big leagues.”For Mike Olt, it came in his second at-bat in his big-league debut against the Los Angeles Angels on Aug. 2, 2012. Olt, 24, the Texas Rangers’ top power hitting prospect, roped a sharp liner to shortstop, but was robbed of a base hit when Andrew Romine snagged it. Olt saw the play the following morning as one of SportsCenter’s top plays.“I was like, ‘Dang, that would have gone through in Double A,’ ” Olt said.Olt eventually became comfortable in the major leagues and is hoping to break camp with the team this spring. What is the biggest difference between Double A and the big leagues? You get to the opposing city at a normal hour and you don’t have to sit in a crammed bus doubled up. You also get milk and cookies on the plane. Are the cities better, too? In Double A, Springfield (Mo.) is pretty cool, good environment. San Antonio was fun because we had a day game and got to go out on the River Walk one night. In the majors, Boston was great because I got to see some family. And Toronto was a real cool city, definitely not what I was expecting when I got there. Did you enjoy dress-up day? Oh, it’s cool. It’s like every team from high school to college to the pros. The freshmen get it and so do the rookies. What was your costume? I was a nurse. Jurickson [Profar] was Flavor Flav. We had someone dress up as a swimmer. They were all good costumes. Is being a nurse a potential career after baseball? No. I got rid of that outfit real quickly so it would never be brought up again.He said it“Now, if we were going to Tuscon, I’d be sending Jackie.” — Manager Ron Washington on why he took the “away” split squad game Saturday at Peoria. Bench coach Jackie Moore will manage the “home” game in Surprise.Number28 Home runs Mike Olt hit at Double A Frisco last season in 354 at-bats. Injury report RHP Colby Lewis (flexor tendon surgery in July): Scheduled for 40-pitch bullpen session Sunday. LHP Martin Perez (broken left ulna): Expected to miss two months. RHP Kyle McClellan (shoulder soreness): Will throw live batting practice today. RHP Joakim Soria (Tommy John elbow surgery in April): Threw bullpen session Friday. RHP Neftali Feliz (Tommy John elbow surgery in August.): Throwing out to 75 feet. RHP Tanner Scheppers (strained left hamstring): Will pitch today vs. Seattle. RHP Yoshinori Tateyama (lower-back stiffness): Pitched Friday vs. Milwaukee. C Eli Whiteside (mild left calf strain): Aggravated strain Thursday and is being re-evaluated. RHP Wilmer Font (mild shoulder tendinitis): Will throw live batting practice Sunday.Videos of the dayCatch manager Ron Washington discussing the bullpen situation, and also see newly signed right-hander Derek Lowe throw a bullpen session on our Foul Territory blog at star-telegram.com/rangers.Drew Davison, 817-390-7760 Twitter: @drewdavison
